Railway-crossing



( No Model.)

B. FONTAINE.

RAILWAY -CROSSINGL N. PETERS, Phulu-lhoqqpher, Washlngwn. (LC.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUGENE FONTAINE, OF WAGON VOEKS, OHIO.

gRAILWAY-C'Rossme.

fPECIFICATON forming part of Letters Patent No. 355,156` dated December 28, 1886.

Application filed September 23, 1886. Serial No. S21-1,347, (No model.) v

that class in which short rail-sections are pivotally secured at the intersections of the rails and connected by mechanism whereby they may be turned simultaneously to register with either track to form a continuous rail; but great difficulty is experienced with the construction inv present use on account of their great liability to become inoperative. This is frequently causedy by snow and ice, which, being allowed access to the parts, often render them inoperative by freezing. A further cause is the use of cogged gearing,which not only permits stones to wedge accidentally between the cogs, but is especially liable to be maliciously tampered with. Failure is also caused by insufficient protection of the Working parts against the filling in ofthe ground, and by the insufficient manner of supporting the rail-l sections. l

It is the object of my invent-ion to overcome these defects, and to this end I have designed the improved crossing shown in the accompanying drawings, in whichm Figure lis a plan with the rails omitted. Fig. 2 is a side View, partly in elevation and partly in section. Fig. 3 is a plan of one of the intersections, and Fig. 4 is an elevation of the signal-post and the operating-lever. Fig.

y continuous supporting-girder under the stationary railsot' the crossing, while the circular enlargements at the four corners form corner curbs, which, in connection with top and bottom plates, afford a firm supportrand protection for the corner-posts at the intersections of the crossing.

The construction of the curb is as follows: A girder,'a, having the cross-section of a so- 6o called ehannel-iron,and made in four pieces, bolted together at the ends, forms the four sides of the curb, together with the circular enlargement at the corners. Each of the four sections of the girder forms the straight portion of one side and one-half of thev circular enlargements at the two adjacent corners. To the inner side of this girder, and near the top and bottom edges thereof, are secured the an gle-irons b, except at the corners where they 7o complete the circular enlargements on the inside and form the remaining portion -of the 'corner curbs in such a manner as to leave an opening, c, for an access to the interior of the well between them. The circular corner wells formed by the supporting-girder are closed on top and bottom by plates d, secured thereto, and by means of clips e the ends of the rails are secured to the top plates. These clips have segmental circular flanges f, which form 8o a protectingwall around the exposed upper ends of the posts and facilitate the application of a lubricant.

The posts B have shoulders h, Which furnish `a support upon the top plates, andthey are supported laterally by the top plates, through which they pass, and by means of steps Ag, formed on the bottom plates. The movable rail-secti ons carried by the posts are preferably formed'integral with the posts, which are just 9o sufficiently cut away upon opposite sides at the top to form the head of a rail and permit the anges of the wheels to pass. This construction, in case of a Wrong crossing, reduces the danger to a passing train.

D is asignal-post of known construction and operation, E being its operating-lever. This signal-post is placed near the track, in line, or nearly so, with one of the diagonals of the crossing. To the lowerA end of the staff of the signal-post is secured a crank-arm, z', to which the connecting-rod j is secured,which connects the crank-armi with another crank-arm, k, secured upon the nearest post. Another connecting-rod, l, connects said crank-arm k with a crank-arm, m, secured upon the post diagonally opposite the first. Upon each of the posts so connected are secured additional crankarms,n o, to which connecting-rods p g are pivotally secured to connect theseposts in asimilar manner with 'the remaining two posts, all so arranged that by the proper movement of the operating-lever E all the posts are rotated simultaneously in the desired manner.

The stationary rail-sections of the crossing are supported at the end, as before described, on the top plate of the corner Wells, and iutermediate between they are-supported on corrugated bars o', which are` inserted between them and the top of the supporting-girder. This construction lessens the noise and the destructive action ou the supporting-girder caused by vibration. Y

The whole crossing is supported, as usual,

f on sleepers placed in suitable number and po- 'inclosed within a curb and well protected,

' and thus less liable to fail on account of accidental or malicious interference.

What I claim as my invention is 1. In a railway-crossing having rotatable posts at the intersections, a continuous railsupport in the form of a four-sidedcurb with circular enlargements at the corners, substan;A tially as described.

2. In a railway-crossing having rotatable posts at the intersections, the combination, with a continuous supporting-girder forming circular wells at the corners, of top and bottom plates inclosing said circular wells, substantiall y as described.

3. In a railway-crossing having rotatable p/Osts at the intersections, a continuous railsupport in theform of a four-sided curb with circular enlar ements at the corners, the same consisting of t e channel-bars a and the angle bars b, connected as described, to form openings from the central well into the corner wells, substantially as specified.

4. In a railway-crossing having rotatable posts at the intersections, the combination of the continuous rail-support C, having circular enlargements at the corners, the top and buttoin plates inclosing said circular enlargements, and the corrugated plates r, intermediate between the corners, substantially as described.

5. In a railway-crossing having rotatable posts at the intersections interconnected with each other by cranks and connecting-rods, the combination, with a main connecting-rod diagonally connecting two posts, of two connectingrods connecting each of the posts thus con- 'nected with one of the remaining two posts, re-

spectively, substantially as described.

6. In a railway-crossing having rotatable posts at the intersections interconnected with each other by cranks and connecting-rods, the combination, with a continuons rail-support forming a central Well with circular enlargements at the corners communicating therewith, and wherein the posts 4are pivotally secured, of a main connecting-rod diagonally connecting two of the posts, and of sub-oon meeting-rods connecting each of the posts thus connected with the two remaining posts, respectively, all arranged substantially as described.

EUGENE FONTAINE.

Witnesses: i

' L. A. THOMPSON, JOHN THOMPSON. 

